Dividing-engine.



W. B. TRUITT. DIVIDING ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 2113.27, 1911.

W. B. TRUITT, DIVIDING ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, 1911.

Patented'July 11, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PuNouRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. n. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BROOKS TRUITT, OF GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

DIVIDING-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1911.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Serial N0. 611,220.

head; Fig. 3 a side elevation partly in section'of the complete machine;Fig. 4 a vertical section through the dividing head; Fig. 5 a face Viewof the dividing head.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple machine forintermittingly feeding a bar or sheet of material, the distance of eachmovement of the material being predetermined by an adjustable scalearrangement so constructed that any given length of or space on thematerial may readily and accurately be divided into, and without mentalcalculation, any desired'number of equal spaces within the limits 'ofthe apparatus, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the embodiment of my invention which I have chosen for the purpose ofillustrating the principle thereof, a designates a hollow standard and ba lever pivotally depending from the upper end thereof and having itslower end connected by a strap or band 0 to a drum 03 mounted loosely ona horizontal shaft 6 journaled in suitable bearings at a distance fromthe standard and having its axis parallel with the axis of the pivot'ofthe lever. On this shaft 6 is mounted a feed roll f which cooperateswith an idle feed roll 9 above it, the letter h designating the materialwhich is to be fed by these rolls. It will be observed that the act ofswinging the lever to the left unwinds the strap 0 from its drum' andthrough the medium of a suitable clutch 71 rotates the feed rolls andthus feeds the material. When this feed stroke is completed, a suitabledevice, such as a weight j hung upon a drum is attached to drum d,causes the band '0 to be rewound upon its drum, the clutch 2' serving torelease the drum from the feed shaft and thus avoid feeding the materialback again. It will thus be observed that vibration of. the dependinglever will cause an intermittent feed of the material and that thedistance of feed movement will of course be dependent upon the length oflever stroke and the proportion between the drum cl andthe feed roll f.

It will be understood that any suitable clutch arrangement may beemployed and that otherwise the details of the mechanism for translatingthe vibratory movement of the lever into an intermittent feed'movementof the material may be greatly varied without departing from the spiritof my invention.

To vibrate the lever, I employ a rotary dividing head Z provided with awrist pin m which engages in a longitudinal slot in the lever, wherebywith every rotation of the head Z the lever will be caused to make acomplete feeding and non-feeding stroke. The head Z is afliXed to ashaft 72 journaled in a carriage 0 mounted to vertically slide on astandard. A bevel gear 79 on the inner end of the shaft 12, meshes witha bevel gear g splined on a shaft 1' vertically mounted withinthestandard. The lower end of the shaft 7" is provided with a bevel gear8, and meshing with this gear is another gear t affixed to the inner endof the operating shaft a. With this mechanism it will be observed thatthe head may be conveniently rotated in each of its verticaladjustments. To move the carriage 0 vertically and to lock it in itsvarious positions, I

employ a vertical screw o journaled in lugs on the standard and workingthrough a threaded lug to Fig. 2 on the carriage. The wrist pin on iscarried by a block 00 sliding in a radial'groove in the face of thehead, and this block is adapted to be radially adj usted by means of asuitable screw 3 mounted in said groove.

It will be observed that with the construction above described thelength of the feed stroke of the lever can be varied within the limitsof the apparatus. Suitable scales are to be employed for determining thevarious adjustments. One of these scales, designated a, is laid off onthe standard and is adapted to cooperate with the carriage, and theother scale, designated 5, is marked ofi' on the face of the head inposition to de termine the radial distance of the wrist pin. It will beobvious that the shortest feed stroke within the limits of the apparatusis obtained by lowering the carriage to the first graduation mark in thescale a and by shifting the wrist pin to the innermost graduation on thehead, and vice versa the longest stroke within the limits of the machineis obtainable by shifting the parts to the opposite ends of the scales.Any suitable scales may be employed and they may be laid off inaccordance with well known mathematical principles. The scale a ispreferably what may be called a total-space scale since it is laid ofi'to indicate the spaces or lengths that are to be sub-divided, while thescale on the head may be termed the dividing or sub-dividing scale sinceit is laid off to indicate the number of parts into which thetotal-space or length is to be divided. The following examples willillustrate the manner in which these two scales are to be laid off andthe manner in which they cooperate: With the scales I have illustratedin the drawings, when the carriage is adjusted to the point 4 on thescale a and the wrist pin to point 12 on the dividing head, the machinewill be adjusted to divide a four foot space into twelve equal parts,that is, into four-inch spaces. Again, should the carriage be adjustedto point 8, which point is exactly half-way between point a and thefulcrum of the lever, the machine is adjusted so that it will divide aspace eight feet in length into twelve equal parts of eight inches each.Then should the wrist pin be adjusted to point 24: (that is, half-waybetween 12 and the axis of the dividing head), a space eight feet inlength will be divided into twenty-four equal parts of four inches each.In this manner any given total space or length may be readily subdividedinto as many equal parts as desired within the limits of the apparatuswithout mental calculation.

It is obvious that there are several applications of the principle of myinvention in practical work, and it is intended that the principle beprotected in all applications. The most important of these is to apunching machine, and this being the case I have illustrated at A aportion of a punching apparatus. There is one application of theinvention that is especially important. Ordinarily the advancement of his in a straight line. If h is advanced under a punch while, forexample, part on registers with scale mark 12 on scale 6 and 0 registerswith scale mark 4 on scale a, a l1ne of holes wlll be punched having aspacing of 4 feet and these holes will be in a straight line. By properarrangement, however, they may be in a curved line, and it may benecessary that they shall be. For example, on a developed frustum of acone, the top and bottom are curves of definite radii, and a line ofholes for riveting at top and bottom must be on curved lines. These canbe readily laid out and punched by my dividing machine. Take an example:Suppose a sheet of metal is to be formed to make the frustum of a cone,as in ordinary steel smoke stack work. Suppose the circumference of thisjoint at the top line of rivet holes is ninetyfive inches or 7 11 andthat the circumference at bottom line of holes is 96% or 80%. Supposethe distance from one line of holes to the other is 5711; or 49J It isnecessary that we have two complete dividing machines and that therollers between which it passes shall not have Very broad faces. One ofthese sets of rollers must be placed in line with center of punch, andthe other 571} inches in front of punch. Set off on one scale a 711 andon the other 80%. Set the number of spaces desired on both dividingheads. As the sheet is pulled through by the rollers one side advances71l while the other advances 80%. Therefore the curve wanted isgenerated and the holes punched along that curve. To punch the otherside reverse the setting of the levers and the opposite side curve willbe generated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a dividing engine, the combination of a support means for feedingthe work, a swinging lever connected to said feeding means, a dividinghead and means connecting it to said lever, means for rotating saiddividing head to reciprocate the lever, means for shifting the dividinghead along the length of the lever, means for shifting the connectingmeans between the lever and the dividing head radially with respect tothe dividing head, and two scales on said parts cooperating with eachother to determine the position of the parts relatively to each other.

2. In a dividing engine, the combination of a support means for feedingthe work, a swinging lever connected to said feeding means, a dividinghead and means connecting it to said lever, means for rotating saiddividing head to reciprocate the lever, means 4 inches,

for shifting the dividing head along the the carriage and the otherscale being a sub- 10 length of the lever, means for shifting thedivision scale and located on the dividing connecting means between thelever and the head. 7

dividing head radially with respect to the In testimony whereof Ihereunto aflix my dividing head, and two scales on said parts signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

cooperating with each other to determine WILLIAM BROOKS TRUITT. theposition of the parts relatively to each Witnesses:

other, one of said scales being a tota1-space BESSIE STACK,

scale located to cooperate for positioning PEARLE WILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents,

' Washington, D. G.

